Fight a large variety of unique creatures, from goblins to griffins and huge dragons.

Follow your heart

When someone steals your heart, it’s normally thrilling news. But when that someone happens to be a giant, crimson dragon with a mysterious vendetta against you, the outlook isn’t so good.

In Dragon’s Dogma on PlayStation 3, the sleepy fishing village of Cassardis takes the brunt of a frenzied attack by a giant scaled beast before its attention switches to you. An anonymous traveller before happening upon the coastal settlement, you are thrust into the limelight when the furious dragon pins you down and tears the heart from your chest.

Miraculously, you survive, and when you come to you realise the dragon singled you out for a reason. Bearing a huge scar and with unfathomable questions swirling around your mind, the only thing you can be sure of is that you must track this monster down.

Why were you picked for this gruesome assault? How are you still alive? And what perils lie between you and this enigmatic creature’s lair? These are some of the many questions you – by turns traveller, warrior and survivor – will answer when you enter the world of Dragon’s Dogma. For you are Arisen, and you have sacrificed your heart to secure the destiny of the world.

Understated grandeur

Ravaged by dragon raids and marauding bandits, the world of Dragon’s Dogma bears the hallmarks of its inhabitants’ constant struggle for survival. Fortified cities and rugged encampments are free of heraldry and decoration, which helps make the game feel all the more distinctive.

When you stumble across the capital city of Gran Soren, there is no fanfare or gilded architecture to greet you. Instead, you’ll stare down at its dusty maze of streets and up in awe at its vast, granite castle walls, which hint at the size of the dangers ahead. And when you fall into the warmth of a candlelit inn after a day journeying through cursed woods while fending off goblins and harpies, you’ll appreciate your stripped down surroundings all the more.

This is a game that rewards you for veering off the beaten track. Caves, remote fortresses and secret passages contain their own dangers, along with rare treasures and unique sights. Wait until you clap eyes on the terrifying yet oddly beautiful Golem, for instance, with its glowing purple clay.

Explore the world beyond the Blu-ray Disc, too, by visiting PlayStation Store to download special characters and quests to add to your campaign, including the 10-part From a Different Sky add-on pack.

Higher help

Your still-beating heart may have been taken from you, but the ordeal has brought you unexpected benefits. A portal to the ghostly rift world has been opened, and from its inhabitants, the nomadic Pawns, you can request assistance on the trek ahead.

Expert magicians, marksmen and warriors, the Pawns will follow your every command. After detailing what you expect from your new companions, including battle tactics and even what to do when things go wrong, you’ll be able to rely on them each step of the way. They’ll gain knowledge and new skills along with your respect.

Mould your Pawns into comrades that best suit your cause. Up to three can join you, and since you’ll invest so much in them, you’ll work doubly hard in battle to protect your comrades. As for you, you’ll take on lucrative missions in a bid to raise your standing within cities, earning cash for new hardware and the opportunities to learn new trades.

Dive into a living, breathing world with its own laws and social structure, where you’ll play your part in thrilling escort missions, outlaw showdowns, dawn hunts and epic confrontations with raging beasts. As Arisen, you may have lost your heart, but you’ll experience a game full of it.

Pawn cocktail

Meet a world of specialised warriors and magicians by connecting to PlayStation Network in Dragon’s Dogma. Then, whenever you find a rift stone during your adventure, you’ll be able to recruit Pawns created by players from all over the globe.

A clever rating system lets you quickly decide how effective a potential new recruit might be. Impressed with the tenacity of a particular Pawn in your battles together? Then show this by bumping up its rating before visiting the rift world, and let other players see the impact the Pawn had alongside you.

You can also create Pawns to send out on quests with fellow players, where they’ll gain experience and come back better fighters. Stop by an inn at regular intervals and you’ll even receive items and equipment discovered by your on-loan Pawns direct to your inventory.

The more Pawns you create and send off on other players’ quests, the greater your own reward. It’s well worth taking the time to devise special tactics for your roaming fighters, as you’ll reap the benefits further down the line – and in a journey this far-reaching, that’s invaluable.